


Sovereign's Song

by obiwanken5



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:46:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14596332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obiwanken5/pseuds/obiwanken5
Summary: Nathan Shepard and Natalia Davies have been competing against each other since they met in N-School, but when a mission to Eden Prime goes horrifically awry, one will stop at nothing to prove their worth, and the other will stop at nothing to save the galaxy.





	1. Arcturus Station - Nathan

**Author's Note:**

> So, my tags give away the secret? I honestly didn't know how to play up the "mystery" for the readership, because I gave my OFC one of the background combinations possible in the game; it would 've been either an "omg that's genious" reaction, or an "omg how dare you appropriate a Shepard background" vilification before the surprise was sprung, so I guess this is one story where *we* know the answers but the characters don't. 
> 
> This is basically a "what-if" re-hash of ME1. I play fast and loose with game cut-scenes.

"You hear anything, Shep?" Alan Bryce asked from the opposite side of the table as Nathan Shepard wedged himself between two other servicemen; his tray landed on the table with a clatter that could barely be heard over the din of the crowded mess hall.  
  
Arcturus Station was always buzzing with activity; between the government officials and the Alliance Navy, there was no shortage of action within its confines. Located at the L5 Lagrangian point of the planet Themis, in the system that gave the station its name, Arcturus was perfectly situated to guard the way back to Earth. While there were other mass relays in the system that led further into the galaxy, the station's main function - aside from being the headquarters of the Alliance Fleet - was the protection of the one relay that linked up to the Charon Relay in the Sol System. It was also a favourite location of the Alliance Parliament to gather, when meetings with visiting dignitaries required semi-neutral territory. For Nathan Shepard, however, it was the closest thing to a stationary home that he had.  
  
Having grown up with parents in the Alliance Military, Shepard had spent nearly his entire life on one ship or another, as he followed his parents through postings and promotions. When he turned eighteen, he hadn't even thought twice about enlisting, and had spent much of his career afterwards doing much the same. Pulling into port at Arcturus for resupply and repairs gave crews a brief break from the rigours of the job, and this time was no exception.  
  
"Did I hear anything about what?" Shepard replied as he shook out a napkin.  
  
"That new Alliance-Turian venture," Bryce clarified. "You've been on-station as long as we have, don't tell me the rumours haven't reached you?"  
  
"It's one of the few interesting things making the poker-table rounds," the woman on Shepard's right - Sara Adamson - added.  
  
"Yeah," the man to his left - Mike Clary - agreed. "But what I want to know is, what is it?"  
  
"Has to be a ship of some sort..." Shepard trailed off as he glanced up from the table to see the hard, emerald gaze of Natalia Davies boring into him as she walked past their group, tray in-hand. He narrowed his eyes and frowned as Davies was forced to break the stare-down so she could navigate the rest of the way to a table further down the row. He didn't turn away from her retreating form until a hunk of roasted potato hit him in the cheek.  
  
"What the fuck was that?" Bryce demanded, clearly amused. "You got a thing for Davies, or something?"  
  
Clary almost choked on a mouthful of food. "No, that was open hostility from the Butcher of Torfan. You piss her off, or something, ace?"  
  
"We're not letting this go until you tell us," Adamson assured him, as Shepard suddenly became really interested in his dinner.  
  
"We met at the villa, okay? Started N-School together," Shepard relented. "She kept getting in my way, and I kept getting in hers. Punched each other out once or twice when we had to work together. We kept it quiet enough that we were able to make it through and graduate without court martial." He tossed a hateful glance in Davies's direction. "Don't let the auburn hair and freckles fool you, boys and girl. She's all fangs and claws."  
  
Shepard ignored the amused looks that were exchanged between his friends, and shovelled food into his mouth. Once the others followed suit, he said, "Zander's a part of it; it's most definitely a ship." At the confused looks thrown in his direction, he raised a brow. "The secret Alliance-Turian venture?" he prompted. He snorted softly at the looks of dawning comprehension that surrounded him.  
  
"Well, I guess that would make sense?" Bryce said.  
  
"Wouldn't catch me on that thing if it was the last transport out of a batarian slaver compound. Oh," Clary added, as Shepard tensed up slightly at the comment, "Sorry, man. I Forgot..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Shepard assured him. "Any ideas on who they'll get to shake her down?"  
  
"None," Adamson said. "If Zander's involved, it'll end up being a bum effort at repairing relations with the turians. _He'll_ insist on an all-human crew, and the _turians_ \- and possibly the Alliance Brass - will insist on a mixed crew."  
  
"You mean the Citadel Council will insist on a mixed crew," Clary informed them. "The Alliance and the turians might be the two groups involved, but I heard the commission came down from the Council."  
  
"Can we really repair our relationship with the turians, though?" Bryce wanted to know.  
  
"Sure," Shepard replied. "We can't get rid of Zander, and other folks like him, but those of us that don't agree with their sentiments can definitely make a difference."  
  
"And that, ladies and gents," Adamson said, clapping a hand on Shepard's shoulder, "is why Shepard here is an N7 and we're not."  
  
Shepard snorted and shrugged her off. "No, Adamson," he corrected her. "I'm an N7 because you guys are too lazy to put in the effort to earn an invitation to the villa."  
  
"I heard about the effort you had to put in, man," Clary said with a shake of his head. "And no thank you. I admire everyone who makes it to N-School, because you all have the balls to get the job done when no one else is willing to, no matter what, just like Miss Butcher down there."  
  
Shepard shot his friend a tired smile. "At least you've got the guts to admit that you don't have what it takes. I've seen too many die thinking otherwise."  
  
"Damn straight," Clary agreed. He raised his glass. "To those who were blinded by arrogance: may their failures be our lessons."  
  
The others raised their glasses with a collective _here here_ , and as Shepard drank the toast, he felt a tiny knot of apprehension coil in his gut. He shot a covert glance at Davies, and he wasn't surprised to find her watching him. One of these days, their rivalry was going to come to a head, and he prayed that the collateral damage left behind after the collision was minimal.


	2. Arcturus Station - Anderson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first of my fast-and-loose appropriation of in-game cut-scenes/dialogue.

Ambassador Donnel Udina and Admiral Steven Hackett were waiting for Captain David Anderson, as the latter entered the briefing room. The mass relay that led back to earth hung in the far distance through the room's viewport in perfect serenity among the stars, belying the slight tension that hung between the three men. Anderson couldn't blame the other two men for whatever it was they were feeling; a few weeks ago, one of the officers in charge of a top secret project with the turians had been relieved of his station for almost coming to blows with his turian counterpart, and several days ago said project had been hijacked by an Alliance pilot for an apparent joyride. In spite of these most recent of humanity's blunders on the intergalactic stage, the Citadel Council had finally agreed to consider a human candidate to join the elite ranks of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance team.   
  
"Ambassador, Admiral," Anderson greeted his superiors as he joined them at the table.   
  
"Captain," Hackett acknowledged the greeting. Udina, on the other hand, simply got down to it.  
  
"Captain, Admiral, let us begin by getting to the point. The diplomatic ramifications for both incidents— "  
  
"Are not as bad as they seem," Anderson interrupted the politician. "General Invectus has stated in no uncertain terms that, despite his theft of the Normandy, Mr. Moreau is to be given the piloting position, or there will be hell to pay."  
  
Udina leaned back into his chair with a huff, as only half the wind had blown out of his sails. Anderson had been around the man long enough to know that the human ambassador tended to find drama where there was none, and even seemed to go out of the way to find it.   
  
"That solves one problem," Hackett agreed. "And your appointing as the Normandy's new captain in place of Zander solves another. The only thing that remains is our bid for a candidate for the Spectres."   
  
"I'd like to nominate Shepard," Anderson replied without hesitation.   
  
Udina frowned. "He's a spacer...lived aboard starships most of his life."  
  
"Yes, but military service runs in the family," Anderson insisted. "Both his parents were in the navy. His mother is currently serving as the executive officer aboard the Kilimanjaro."  
  
Hackett looked thoughtful. "He saw his whole unit die on Akuze. He could have some serious emotional scars."  
  
"Every soldier has scars," Anderson pointed out. "You of all people should know that. Shepard's a survivor."  
  
"Well, what about Davies?" Udina countered. "She grew up in the colonies..."  
  
"Her parents were killed when slavers attacked Mindoir," Anderson mused. "It seems to have given her a drive to prove herself."  
  
Hackett leaned forward and shook his head. "Yes, but she got most of her unit killed on Torfan."  
  
"Yes," Udina agreed, "But she gets the job done. No matter what the cost."  
  
"Are either of them the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy, though?" Hackett wondered aloud. Anderson regarded his superior suspiciously. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what the Admiral was thinking.  
  
Udina narrowed his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, that's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy."  
  
Anderson watched as a slow smile spread across Hackett's features. "I think, gentlemen, that the choice isn't ours to make."  
  
"What are you suggesting?" Anderson asked.   
  
"That we let the Spectres decide. Davies and Shepard are both yours for this mission, Captain. One of them will be promoted, and the other will remain under your command."


	3. Normandy - Natalia

The top secret Alliance-Turian project turned out to be a new class of ship. The SSV Normandy SR-1 was a deep scout frigate built for a human crew, but based around a turian command structure. Her stealth system and experimental drive-core made her one-of-a-kind, and if she passed muster it would open the door for more like her to be built. She was sleek and reported to be fast and manoeuvrable. Everyone chosen for the shake-down run was buzzing with excitement and speculation on how the ship would perform. It was a momentous occasion, if only because the turians had allowed an all-human ensemble to be her permanent crew.  
  
For at least one of her crew, however, that sense of excitement was undercut by emotions of another kind; Natalia could feel the stares boring into her as she stowed her gear in the locker. The cargo deck was filled with the usual sounds of a crew embarking and settling in for a tour, but the speculative glances and hushed whispers that followed in her wake seemed to drown it all out. She slammed the locker shut and turned to the room at large, looking for the one unfortunate soul who would choose not to look away. She found no one, however, and scowled. Soft laughter pulled her attention to two marines who'd just put down a box of supplies; she stalked over and glared at them, hands on her hips.  
  
"Something funny, Corporal," she demanded. The marine straightened and met her gaze while his friend pretended to be busy with the crate.  
  
"No ma'am," he replied. "We were just wondering how long we all had left to live, with you on board." Natalia's expression hardened as she clenched her fists. The muscles in her arms and and shoulders tightened as she prepared to draw back and punch the man.  
  
A sharp and curt, _"Corporal!"_ took both Natalia and the marine by surprise, and the tension in her body eased until she saw that the command came from Shepard as he approached the group. She tensed up once more, but for entirely different reasons, the least of which was the Corporal's sudden snap to attention.  
  
"Shut your mouth and lose the rumour mongering," Shepard continued as he drew even with them. "Or I'll have you tossed for insubordination."  
  
"Sir, yes sir!" the Corporal replied without even a glance at Natalia.  
  
"Now get back to work." Shepard ordered; Natalia glared at him as the corporal and his friend picked up their cargo and moved it further into the hold. He looked down at her, nonplussed.  
  
"I had it under control," she said, barely containing her fury.  
  
"No you didn't," he replied. "You were ready to deck him. Hell, you're ready to deck _me_." As if to prove how on-point his observational skills were, he dodged and caught her fist in mid-flight as she threw a punch, and held onto it tightly. "What the hell is your problem, anyway?"  
  
"Why the fuck are you here?" she countered. " _I_ was assigned-"  
  
"So was I," he cut her off in mid-sentence.  
  
" _Why?_ "  
  
"The answer to that question should be what's bothering you, Davies, not my presence here. Both of us are on the crew manifest for the Normandy's shake-down run, and neither of us are Ex-Oh. Shake-down runs don't need two commanders on-deck, and they certainly don't need a Spectre riding shotgun. Use your goddamn brain for once, and try to see past that chip on your shoulder." He released her hand then, and walked away. She was too stunned to do anything more than gape after him as he stepped onto the elevator and disappeared behind the closing door.


	4. Normandy - Natalia

The distraction of getting the Normandy underway was enough to pull most of the scrutiny away from Natalia, but she could still sense the slight undercurrent of curiosity and trepidation. All Natalia wanted to do was stand in the middle of the CIC and yell at them, telling them they had no idea what it was like to survive a tragedy like Mindoir and in the process learn that sometimes the only solution was to ram a problem with as much firepower as possible in order to make it go away. It had been the only solution for those that hadn't been taken by slavers to finally break free, and it had been the solution on Torfan to ensure that those who dared to act so dishonourably were brought to justice. As far as Natalia was concerned, battlefield justice was just as viable as justice in the courts; it was definitely more reliable than the judicial system, to say the least.  
  
Underpinning it all, however, was Shepard's presence, and his final words to her in the cargo hold. What she hated the most about the entire encounter was that he was right. She'd come on board looking for a fight, a burning need to prove herself and her methods to the first person who looked at her sideways. She'd ignored the crew manifest and the rumours surrounding the shakedown run, and had turned inward into herself before she'd even had a chance to report in to Captain Anderson. Now here she was, three hours later, walking through the CIC to the comm-room as the Normandy made its final approach to Eden Prime.  
  
She ran into Shepard as he stepped off the elevator, and they paused awkwardly before the door to the comm-room for a long moment, before Nathan waved her to take the lead. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but took the invitation nonetheless. She felt a flutter in her stomach as her eyes alighted on the turian standing on the far side of the room, back toward them and head bent over the console. He turned at the sound of their footfalls, and his mandibles flexed ever so slightly as he smiled.  
  
"Commander Shepard, Commander Davies. I was hoping the two of you would get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."  
  
Shepard crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "What about?"  
  
Not knowing what to do with herself, now that Shepard took her usual pose - it wouldn't do for both of them to seem unapproachable - Natalia drifted over to casually lean against the railing.  
  
"I'm interested in this world we're going to -" Nihlus answered. "Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."  
  
Natalia's mood darkened ever so slightly. Colony talk always made her uneasy, and talking about the settlements that had prospered stirred her resentment. "They say it's a paradise," she remarked dryly. "So what?"  
  
"So what?" Nihlus, asked, mildly incredulous. "Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them." He gave Natalia a pointed look as he added, "But how safe is it, really? Your people are newcomers. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this? "  
  
Natalia felt her core muscles stiffen at the jab to her personal history, and frowned; this turian had some nerve, trying to bait her like this. What the hell was he playing at?  
  
"If you know something," she said in a clipped tone, "why don't you just come out and say it?"  
  
The soft sounds of the door's hydraulics forestalled any reply, and Anderson joined the circle. If he noted any sense of tension in the room, he didn't show it.  
  
"I think it's about time we told them what's really going on."  
  
Natalia saw Shepard's mouth twitch ever so slightly, and her annoyance jumped up a notch. There was no way he was going to let go of the fact that his suspicions regarding this pleasure cruise had been correct.  
  
"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," Nihlus admitted.  
  
"I figured there was something you weren't telling us," Shepard replied. He was at least gracious enough to not look at her as he said it.  
  
"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime," Anderson continued. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."  
  
Natalia's bad mood lifted for a moment. "Prothean? For real?"  
  
"For real," Anderson confirmed. "This is big. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years."  
  
"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander." Nihlus paced with his hands clasped behind his back. "This discovery could affect every species in Council space. Eden Prime lacks the facilities to handle something like this, so the beacon is being brought back to the Citadel for proper study."  
  
"It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." Shepard remarked. He seemed to roll with this news, but the darkness that had descended over Natalia at Nihlus' earlier goading was beginning to change. She had a bad feeling about this mission, all of a sudden.  
  
Nihlus shook his head. "This mission is not the only reason why I'm here, Shepard."  
  
"Of course it isn't," Natalia interjected with a soft snort.  
  
Nihlus regarded her coolly, his mandibles twitching gently. "I was impressed when I studied the reports from Torfan," he said at length. "A grim business, but you got the job done. And Shepard, not many could have survived what you went through on Akuze. You showed a remarkable will to live. That's why I put your names forward as candidates for the Spectres."  
  
Whatever Natalia had been feeling shattered at the turian's admission, and she pushed herself off the railing to gape at the man. "Why?" was the only thing she could think to say.  
  
It was Anderson who answered, "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come. Earth needs this, Davies."  
  
"I need to see your skills for myself," Nihlus said. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."  
  
"I'm putting you both in charge of this mission," Anderson continued. "Secure the beacon, and get it onto the ship, ASAP."  
  
Before any more questions could be asked, the comm crackled to life, and Joker's slightly frantic voice filled the room.  
  
_"Captain! We've got a problem."_  
  
"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson replied.  
  
_"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"_  
  
"Bring it up on screen."  
  
The four of them turned to the vid-screen as it flickered, and then slightly grainy video from a helmet cam began to play.  
  
The lush landscape of Eden Prime was now a battlefield, the sky dark and the air heavy with smoke and ozone from discharging weapons. Blaster fire peppered the audio, and the soldier taking the video stumbled slightly. Another soldier ran toward him and shoved him to the ground.  
  
"Get down!" she ordered as he fell backward. He stared up at her briefly before looking to his right, as more blaster fire punctuated the scene. Several others flew by in a blur, until the camera focused on someone in charge.  
  
"We are under attack!" he reported, staring into the camera, while occasionally looking over his shoulder. "Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't..." The audio crackled and fizzed with interference, before a nearby explosion momentarily interrupted the report, "...argh!... —eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need—" He was cut off as something grabbed him from behind.  
  
The video showed the stunned faces of the unit's soldiers as they paused to stare up at something in the sky. The camera finally turned to show a massive ship hanging in the sky surrounded by red, crackling lighting.  
  
With the shocking suddenness of a battle turning, more blaster fire spawned an erratic flow of images that flashed by too rapidly for any details to filter down, save for one or two of the soldiers being shot. The image ceased in a white haze of fuzz, and after several seconds, the vid-screen went dark.  
  
_"Everything cuts out after that,"_ Joker reported. _"No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."_ There was a moment of silence in the comm room, and Anderson took a step forward.  
  
"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight-point-five." The video rewound itself and paused on the image of the ship. The four occupants of the comm room stared at the image for a long moment before Anderson snapped, "Status report!"  
  
_"Seventeen minutes out, Captain,"_ Joker replied. _"No other Alliance ships in the area."_  
  
"Take us in, Joker," Anderson ordered. "Fast and quiet."  
  
Natalia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well," she deadpanned, "this mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated."


	5. Normandy - Nathan

The cargo hold was a minor buzz of activity, as the crew prepared to disembark a ground team planet-side on the perimeter of the engagement zone. Nihlus had suggested that a small team would be better suited to the mission, to minimize their detection, so the two commanders were given a pair of marines to accompany them. The two teams would split up at the drop point to cover more ground.  
  
Shepard strapped the last of his gear down and shifted his shoulders to make sure everything was settled where it should be. He checked all of his weapons to ensure they were in working order and snapped them into their respective holsters. Beside him, Alenko and Jenkins did the same. Across the room Shepard could see Davies, along with the two marines she'd had her run-in with prior to the Normandy's departure. Davies didn't look too happy at the pairing as she checked her gear.  
  
Anderson and Nihlus stepped off the elevator, the latter having changed into his combat gear, and approached the two groups of soldiers.  
  
"Commander Shepard, Commander Davies," Anderson began. "Your two teams are the muscle in the operation. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."  
  
"What about survivors, Captain?" Alenko asked.  
  
Anderson shook his head. "Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon's your top priority."  
  
_"Approaching drop point one."_  
  
"Nihlus? You're coming with us?" Jenkins asked, all youthful exuberance, and completely out of turn.  
  
"No," the turian replied, nonplussed. "I move faster on my own."  
  
"Nihlus will scout out ahead," Anderson explained. "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence."  
  
Shepard nodded. "We've got his back, Captain."  
  
"The mission's yours now. Good luck."  
  
The cargo bay door began to open and Nihlus got into position. By some unheard command, the spectre took a running start, heading for the edge of the ramp. Everyone's attention was on the turian as he prepared to jump, but Shepard caught movement out of the corner of his eye; by the time everyone else had noticed, Davies was mere steps behind Nihlus.  
  
"Commander!" Anderson yelled. "Get back here!"  
  
She ignored the summons, and kept running. As Shepard felt the Normandy press against his feet as Joker pulled her up out of the shallow dive, Davies jumped off the edge of the ramp after Nihlus, leaving them all behind.


	6. Eden Prime - Natalia

Natalia hit the ground and tucked into a roll to break her fall, only to come up to the business-end of a blaster in her face. She raised her empty hands and stood up slowly before taking a few steps back and meeting Nihlus' gaze.   
  
"Commander, what do you think you're doing?" the turian asked, his aim never wavering.  
  
"Doing what it takes to complete this mission," she replied.   
  
"You were supposed to lead your team to work in tandem with Shepard."  
  
"I saw the op-order," she replied with a frown. "I also studied the terrain; I was supposed to circle around the opposite direction from Shepard, but that would put us wildly  out of position to help if things went south. I figured I'd have a better chance at proving myself with you."  
  
Nihlus regarded her for a long moment before finally lowering his weapon. "Try and keep up." Natalia followed as closely as she could, but he moved very fast for a man of his size.  
  
She skidded into a low crouch next to him as he came to a stop within the underbrush and momentarily held up his fist. What Natalia first thought were leaves blowing in the breeze turned out to be smoke curling up into the late evening sky; with dawning comprehension, she followed Nihlus out of the underbrush and into a small collection of burned out and partially destroyed pre-fab buildings. The ground was littered with debris and bodies, some of them soldiers, most of them civilians.    
  
Nihlus touched his comm-unit, and Natalia heard the crackle in her own headset as he activated the group channel. "Found some burned out buildings here, Shepard," Nihlus reported. "Lots of bodies. We're gonna check it out."  
  
 _"We..._ " came Shepard's reply. _"So Natalia's with you, then?"_  
  
"Yes, she's with me." Nihlus shot her a look that was part annoyance, part respect. "We'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."  
  
No stranger to the harsh reality of the battlefield, Natalia moved through the settlement's remains with a cool detachment. She would cry over this later, once the mission was over, but right now she needed to stay above it all.   
  
A sense of wrongness jumped out at her as her gaze raked the debris, and it took her several seconds of standing and staring before what she was seeing finally coalesced in her brain as something coherent.   
  
"Nihlus," she called. She gestured at the remains she'd stumbled upon. "Guess we know who was behind the attack, then."  
  
Nihlus frowned. "Geth...but why?"  
  
"They're geth," she replied with a shrug. "They do what they do, and that's killing organics."  
  
"That ship in the video wasn't of any geth design I recognized, though."  
  
"They've been locked away inside the Veil for almost three-hundred years. Can we even presume to know what kind of tech they're packing these days?"  
  
Nihlus sighed. "I suppose you're right. But something still doesn't add up. Why now? Why here?"  
  
"The beacon, probably."  
  
"What interest could the geth possibly have with Prothean technology?"  
  
"It's technology, Nihlus. Maybe they needed some new ideas? Maybe they were goaded into it, I don't know."  
  
"Let's keep moving, see if we can find anything else." 


	7. Eden Prime - Nathan

Following Davies' unexpected departure at the first drop-point, Anderson had ordered her team to stand down, while Shepard, Alenko, and Jenkins continued on as planned. Without knowing what they were truly walking into, Nathan had been expecting his team to get roughed up a little. Jenkin's death less than ten minutes into the mission was not what he'd had in mind. It hit him almost as hard as it had hit Kaidan, but he knew the other man needed firm guidance to move him through the mission without letting grief distract him so Nathan did what he could to reassure the biotic that they'd do right by Jenkins so they could continue on. Being brought back up to full compliment when they ran into Gunnery Chief Williams was an unexpected surprise, as well, but Nathan was glad they'd managed to find at least one survivor.  
  
Added to the two scientists and the dock workers, Shepard felt himself slowly regaining control over his sense of purpose for this mission, and he was determined - now more than ever - to not let the sacrifice of Eden Prime's population be for nought.   
  
The large ship they'd seen as they approached the spaceport had been unsettling, as well. It was the same one they'd seen a glimpse of in the distress call, back on the Normandy. It looked like a cross between a shrivelled hand and a giant squid, and Shepard could honestly say he'd never seen anything like it before in his life. The craft had looked large in the vid; it was even more massive in person, despite their vantage point from two kilometres away.   
  
The trio approached the first landing-pad area with extreme caution; they'd been ambushed by the geth at least once since they'd arrived in the general area of the spaceport, and several times more before that. Shepard disliked the unnatural stillness of the port; it was a strange mix of post-battle dead-air and a blanket of expectation that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.   
  
"Commander." Kaidan's voice broke the silence like a gunshot and Shepard spun around, suddenly tense. He relaxed as nothing jumped out at them and his gaze alighted on the body laying several metres away. "It's Nihlus."  
  
"A turian?" Ashley asked. "You know him?"  
  
Shepard nodded as Kaidan replied, "He's a Spectre. He was with us on the Nor-"  
  
"Something's moving!" Ashley cut the biotic's explanation short as she aimed her gun. "Over behind those crates!"  
  
Shepard and Kaidan fell into defensive positions behind Ashley, and he knew they were all expecting the worst. As a human stumbled out from behind the crates with his hands up, yelling, "Wait! Don't — Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human," they all eased up slightly. Nathan could almost hear Ashely's eye-roll. He definitely heard Kaidan's muttered, _"for fuck's sake"_.   
  
Nathan lowered his gun, and did his best Displeased Commander glare. "Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed," he admonished the frightened man.  
  
"I...I'm sorry," the man stammered. "I was hiding from those creatures. My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."  
  
Shepard exchanged a look with Kaidan. "What do you mean, the other one?"  
  
"The other one," Powell insisted. "He got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren."   
  
Nathan shook his head at the silent inquiries from his companions; he had no idea who Saren was.   
  
"I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down...and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."  
  
If they knew each other, then Saren had to be another Spectre. Natalia's voice bubbled up in Shepard's memory: _This mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated._

So now the question was, where had Natalia been during that whole exchange? Why hadn't she done something to save Nihlus?  
  
 _Like what? Killing a Spectre?_ He checked a sigh as he ran through all the possible scenarios with him in Natalia's place. No, even if she did prevent Saren from killing Nihlus, it would still be her word against Saren's. And as she'd already proved herself reckless, and prone to ignoring orders and mission ops, Nihlus would have been hard-pressed to believe her. Not even Powell's testimony could bolster Natalia's position in such a case.   
  
Not to mention the enemy she'd make in Saren; anyone willing to kill a friend and colleague in cold blood would be a bad person to cross. Assuming, of course, that Saren wouldn't simply have killed them both, had Natalia tried to intervene.   
  
It was time to change the direction of the conversation; murderous and dead Spectres aside, their primary objective was still their top priority.  
  
"We were told the Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport. What happened to it?" Shepard asked.  
  
"It's over on the other platform," Powell answered as he pointed in the direction. "Probably where that guy Saren headed. He hopped on the cargo train right after he killed your friend. I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too!"  
  
Kaidan waved his gun a little, and Powell stopped talking. "We need to find that beacon," the biotic stated.  
  
"Take the cargo train. That's where the other turian went." Powell put a hand to his head and took a step back from them. "I...I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this."  
  
As the dockhand turned away from them, Shepard motioned to his companions toward the train station. They were running out of time.   
  
"Oh!" Powell exclaimed from behind them, "Another one of you lot followed Saren to the other platform." The information stopped the trio dead in their tracks, and they turned to face him.  
  
"Another of our lot?" Ashley wondered. "I thought all of our units were dead?"  
  
"Not you, sweetheart. Your friends here." He gestured at Shepard and Kaidan. Shepard ignored the murderous look in Ashely's eyes as he stepped between her and Powell.  
  
"Auburn hair, 'bout this tall, a look that would melt steel?" Shepard asked.   
  
Powell nodded. "Yep, that was her."  
  
"Thank you," Shepard replied. He could feel a headache forming, as he headed back toward the station with Ashley and Kaidan in tow.


End file.
